carina Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a keel-shaped constellation in the southern hemisphere; contains the start Canopus
  2. noun any of various keel-shaped structures or ridges such as that on the breastbone of a bird or that formed by the fused petals of a pea blossom

WordNet


Ca*ri"na noun
Etymology
L., keel.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A keel. (a) That part of a papilionaceous flower, consisting of two petals, commonly united, which incloses the organs of fructification. (b) A longitudinal ridge or projection like the keel of a boat.
  2. (Zoöl.) The keel of the breastbone of birds.

Webster 1913